Earthquakes can cause significant damage to the infrastructure of the area in and around the epicenter and far beyond. Much of this damage can be caused by fires set off by downed power lines or other damage to electrical lines and the rupture of natural gas lines due to the seismic activity. Electricity and natural gas are used in most residential homes and businesses. However, fires resulting from gas escaping a ruptured gas line or sparks from ruptured power lines during an earthquake can often cause more damage than the seismic shockwaves themselves.
In order to prevent fires from ruptured gas or power lines during an earthquake, devices have been developed that include switches for automatically shutting off the power or flow of gas within a gas line upon seismic activity above a threshold level. However, many of these devices have been difficult to retrofit to common breaker boxes or gas valves. Accordingly, a need exists for such a device.